1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic write control apparatus that controls the magnetic writing of prescribed data on magnetic stripes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally known are magnetic write control apparatuses that magnetically write data on a magnetic stripe provided on media such as booklets and cards. After an operator inserts a medium into a magnetic write control apparatus, the apparatus transports a medium transports it to the magnetic write position where a magnetic head is located. Once the magnetic stripe on the medium reaches the magnetic write position, the magnetic write control apparatus moves the magnetic head along a shaft. The magnetic head magnetically moves along the shaft, it writes prescribed data on the magnetic stripe.
In such a magnetic write control apparatus, the position of the magnetic head is controlled by an encoder that operates in synchronism with the shaft rotation of an electric motor. The magnetic write control apparatus controls the transport of the magnetic head and the magnetic data-writing in accordance with the position of the magnetic head, which controlled by the encoder. Therefore, the control of the transport of the head and the control of the data-writing need to be performed synchronously.
If the control of the transport of the magnetic head and the control of magnetic data-writing are synchronized by means of the encoder, however, the density at which the magnetic write control apparatus magnetically writes data on the magnetic stripe will be limited to an integral multiple of the resolution of the encoder.
An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic write control apparatus that can magnetically write data at various recording densities.
A magnetic write control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a transport section configured to transport an inserted medium equipped with the magnetic stripe, thereby to move the magnetic stripe to a magnetic write position; a first control section configured to move a magnetic head in relative to the medium, thereby to perform magnetic writing on the magnetic stripe; and a second control section which causes the magnetic head to magnetically write prescribed data on the magnetic stripe, asynchronously with the relative motion of the magnetic head, which is accomplished by the first control section.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.